Verniaiev's failure to win gold may even have come down to a small hop on his dismount from the high bar, where he was competing last.

In a tense moment as Verniaiev waited for his score, he thought he might have edged out his Japanese rival.

"I hoped, and I can't say I didn't think about it," he told reporters. "But it didn't go that way."

Uchimura's victory marked the first time in 44 years a gymnast had won all around gold at two consecutive Games, though he said he expected a new crop of younger gymnasts, led by Verniaiev, to surpass him soon.

"I really have no confidence that I will be able to beat Oleg (in the future)," Uchimura said.